Review - David Garrett – Rock Symphonies

David Garrett first came to my attention in the latter weeks of Dancing on Ice, where he made a big impression on me, caressing his violin on a stirring rendition of Ravel’s Bolero, as Torvill and Dean skated in front of him. Considering I had never heard of the alleged “superstar violinist”, I thought that I would look into him, and see what he had done. His latest album, entitled Rock Symphonies sounded like it would be worth a listen, and it certainly was.

We have seen before how rock music can sound so beautifully epic and grandiose when mixed in with instrumental and classical string accompaniment, and violins and cellos have a unique way of just working well with rock songs. That is something that this virtuoso have cleared picked up on, and his album is a masterclass in technical violin mastery, as he plays out some of the best known rock songs of all time, in a tremendously intricate fashion.

Opening with a fast paced Smells Like Teen Spirit, it then dips into Guns and Roses anthem November Rain, which, having been written for dramatic effect by Axl Rose, sounds gorgeous on the violin. A quirky run through of Walk This Way is crazy too, and across the record he consistently shocks you with the way he makes his violin talk. Toccata and Vivaldi vs Vertigo are both highlights, with the latter being a brilliant hybrid of classical and contemporary rock music. Metallica’s Master of Puppets, with a clear influence from the likes of Apocalyptica’s storming cello version on their “…plays Metallica” album, is epic, with classics like Live and Let Die and Kashmir also being thrown in for good measure.

The highlight though, in an album of many, is 80’s Anthem, which I believe is an original song of his, which is just out of this world.

With model good looks, and insane talent, this guy is the real deal, and could well make the violin cool in the process. It is a relaxed and laid back listen, and some times, that is just a pleasure to behold.

7.5/10